Preparation

What do you do when the weather report says the second Arctic blast is due in this afternoon and with 3-5 inches of snow and wind gusts of up to 35 mph that will drop the temperature to from 15 to 25 degrees below zero and cause drifting? You shove a pitch fork and garden fork down through frozen hay and muck to move it away from the big goat barn door so that it can be closed up tonight. You get the emergency propane heater down from the loft and bring it into the house in case the electricity goes out and you don't have heat. You bring another large round bale of hay up from the bottom pasture for the calves. You fork extra bedding into the barn for the animals' warmth. You bring the Alpine buck in from the outer limits (its o. k., he isn't smelly now that he isn't in rut anymore) and put him in a warmer stall. You prepare to lock the dog up in the barn for the night instead of him sleeping in the dog house. You think about what it is going to be like when the water in the troughs freezes over again shortly after you broke it open with a sledge hammer and you have to go back out already and do it again. You make a trip to town to buy kerosene for the emergency heater and the heater you have been using in the milking barn to keep the milk from getting so cold it won't go through the filter before you put it in jars. You go to the grain elevator and buy extra feed for all of the animals because they need to eat more when it's cold and in case the roads are icy and you can't get out. You fill water jugs in case the electricity goes out and the well pump won't work. You stop by the grocery store for extra toilet paper :-} and antifreeze for all the vehicles and anything else you think you might want if you can't go anywhere. And you do all this in addition to the regular chores you do every day. And you say a prayer, and you count your blessings, and you thank God for letting you live such a wonderful life.
Do me a favor. If you see a farmer today, thank him or her.
Nancy